I'm not the biggest fan of rollercoasters. But this past week, I rode a bunch. Primarily out of love for my wife—it was her birthday, after all.

For those uninitiated, Kings Island in Mason, OH, is home to some pretty incredible rollercoasters. You have Banshee , The Bat , Orion , The Beast , Mystic Timbers , and Diamondback , to name a few. Orion and The Beast are in the top 10 for steel and wooden rollercoasters, respectively. It was a pretty intimidating day, to say the least.

But I went. The first ride was the Banshee—a 167-foot tall, 4,124-foot long solid steel jumbled mess of twists, turns, and loops. The top speed of 68 mph is not even reached on the first hill! And, just to add the cherry on top, it's the world's longest inverted rollercoaster, meaning the track is above your head!

So there we are, getting strapped in, my feet dangling. The final checks from the barely old enough-to-drive attendant ensured my safety. Then we're off.

Now, something about me most people don't know: I get motion sickness. There's a disconnect between my mind and body, and rollercoasters definitely cause it to pop up. Starting the climb on the Banshee was a springboard into my mind and the land of motion sickness. But I was prepared. I knew it was a lot of mind over matter. I reminded myself on that trip toward the heavens that I was buckled in, locked in, and safe. I just needed to stay in the seat and car.

I could tense up, hold my breath, and close my eyes... and almost guarantee I'd turn green. Or, I could relax, understand I was OK, and enjoy my thrill ride. So, as the car in front of ours crested the first hill and started accelerating toward the Earth, I put my hands up.

The ride was crazy! Twisting and turning like a jet fighter through the woods in Southwest Ohio. There were definitely some points where my friend Ralph would have come to visit. But the ride was over in a snap. And it was fun! We unloaded at the station and were off to the next coaster.

Now, why am I telling you about this? Because riding a rollercoaster has a lot of parallels to retirement planning and investing.

What? Hang with me.

Think about it… The initial climb of the first big hill is where the anticipation and anxiety build. The taller the hill, the more anticipated fun of the ride. Just like real life. For those of us in the accumulation stage, we are just saving and investing, building our hill higher and higher. But as we climb, the anxiety and pressure build. The fight or flight response starts to kick in. It becomes mind over matter. Some people decide the ride isn’t worth it and just keep building the hill. Others are worried about what might happen and never get started.

Just like a rollercoaster, you, too, can have the right safety pieces in place for retirement. Having a financial plan is your harness and buckles. Your financial planner is the pimple-faced safety attendant. Just like rollercoasters, you decide how high you want that first hill to be. Either you’re too scared and ride the kiddie coaster, or you hop in line like a big kid. But just like your first time riding one of the big rollercoasters, you probably needed someone to convince you it was worth it. I’m that big kid today.

Too many people I have worked with over the years don’t want to have that big hill. They want to miss the excitement. Uncertainty scares them. The funny thing about life and rollercoasters is once you're on… there’s no getting off. You might as well put your hands up and enjoy it.

So ask yourself:

• Do I have the pieces in place?
• Is my rollercoaster awesome?
• Is my first hill tall enough?
• Am I ready?

If not, what are you going to do about it? Don’t miss out on one of the most epic rides of your lifetime—it’s yours to control .

That’s it for me this week. 

See you next week,

David

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